Fun Halloween facts to get you to buy chocolate

If you want to be popular on Halloween night, give out chocolate. That's among the many fun Halloweeen facts I found on the spooky night.

The Census Bureau estimates that 36 million kids between the ages of 5 and 13 will trick-or-treat this year on Halloween. (Many of the ghosts and ghoulies that visit my house are under five, while some are old enough to drive from house to house, so the total number of TOTers is certainly higher.)

There are 111.4 million occupied housing units in the country, also known as targets to this ravenous horde.

41% of givers scarf down some of the candy they bought for the night, and 90% of parents admit to stealing some of their childrens' plunder.

Chocolate is the most common handout (52%). Thirty percent of households give out hard candy or lollipops. One in four spring for full-sized candies. The rest hand out the misnamed "fun" size.

The most popular candy gifts as ranked by children:

Chocolate, 68%

Lollipops, 9%

Gummy candy, 7%

Gum, 7%

I wonder if I'm making a mistake by handing out dental floss this year?

Happily, 93% of people residing in households consider their neighborhoods safe. I wonder how many nations in the world can match that?

The U.S. grew 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins last year, equivalent to over 1,100 B-747s. The most gourd-friendly state? Illinois, which produced almost half of the Jack-o-lantern blanks.

The average American consumed 23.8 pounds of candy last year. Yes, I did my share of the work.

We will spend around $2.23 billion on candy during the seven days leading up to Halloween, according to a spokesperson for the National Confectioners Association.

The Jack-o-lantern is a tradition brought to the U.S. by Irish immigrants, who back home had carved them out of rutabagas and other root vegetables.